Disinfecting attachment for carpet-sweepers.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1908,

Y, w. L. PLUMB. DISINFEGTING ATTAGHMBNTBOR CARPET SWEEPBRS.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 30, 190B.

UNITED Srarns Patrias-Terrien.

WALTER L. PLUMB, OF NEW YORK, A\'. Y., ASESIGXOR 0F UNE-HALF TH `l..\ l'lll'l WATSON TURNER, OF ,\`E\\' YORh, Y.

DISINFETING ATTAGm/IENT FOB CARPE'r-Swinnen-asLv Patented May 2c, 190s.

Application filed November 30, 1906. Serial No. 345.727.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that If; IVALTER L. PLUME, a l citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the borough of Manhattan and g State of Xew York, have invented-certain l. new and useful Improvements in Disinfeet- I ing Attachments for 'Carpet-Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

T hisinvention relates to improvements in earpet-sweepers and isf designed to prevent the spread of disease, which is likely to result, '1, from the stirring up and scattering about of i gerindadeir dust, 'which results from the use I of the ordinary carpet-sweeper, and to deodorize and disinfect the sweepings. e

In the accomplishment of this object I ptovide a receptacle to be attached to and czirried by a carpet-sweeper, and which is preferablyT located within the casing of said i sweeper. This receptacle is designed to cong tain a quantity of disinfectingl fluid such as, i for instance, formaldehyde.

In the drawings accompanying this speciiication,-Figure 1 shows a central, vertical cross-section of a carpet-sweeper Jfitted with i my disinfecting device. Fig. 2 shows ahorizontal section of the same, the section being taken `on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated b v the arrows; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the germicide j container removed from the sweeper.

In the several iigures ofthe drawings like reference characters indicate the same parts throughout. v

A is the body or casing of the sweeper, which is provided with driving wheels or rollers B f C indicates the revolving brush, which loosens the dirt from the carpet and deposits the saine in the dust-boxes D.

'vithin the space between the brush C and the top of the casing A I'place the container oi' receptacle E, which is made of porous inaterial, preferably unglazed earthenware. The bottom of the receptacle E is preferably L curved upwardly 'and in the concavity of the bottom revolves the brush C, preferably slightly out of contact with this curved bottom, although, if desired, the ends of the brise tles of the brush may engage tlh e bot-tom of thereceptacle. The receptacle E is closed at i the top, except that a small opening F is provided, through which the liquid disinfectant may be poured. A corresponding opening I 55 Gis provided in the top of the casing, and g easing of the sweeper.

i the exterior of the saine.

.tating rapidly close to the lower side oi the 30 l. receptacle E, gas through into this is inserted a short tube ll, preferablyv funnel-shape, the top of this tube being preferably scre\\'threaded and provided with a screw-cap I.

Suitable ii'ieans are provided for remov- 60 ably holding the receptacle lvl in place iii the Such holding means may consist of clips` J and li, of spring metal,

i seeuredat their` upper ends to the top of the g -casing and liaviiigtheir lower ends adapted to hook under the bottom ol the receptacle, to hold thelatter, orto be sprung back so as to permit the receptacle to be removed from the casing with very little trouble.

In the use of this device, a quantity of volatile disinfecting or gerinicidal fluid, such as formaldehyde, will be poured lthrough the. funnel II into the receptacle E, the cap I being then screwed on, to )reveiit spilling of theliquid. The casing o beinguol' porous 75 material, the liquid will be absorbed by and will exude through the walls of the receptacle mostly 1n the forni of a gas. and may moisten The brush C, ro-

will disseminate this liquid or the dust, the sweepiiigs and the carpet.: The dust which is taken up b v the brush and deposited in the dust-boxes I), will be thoroughly disinfected. 'l`his, =.;t li1'st, asf'f35 well as the dust which is raised b v'tlie 'movement 'of' the iiiachine over the, carp et`f-fa.i i,d; which is not caught by the machiiie,'willby; reason of the geriiiicidal qualities of the iluid l used, be iiiadehariiiless so far as the propaga- -90. tion and spread ot disease is concerned.

Various modifications in the form of receptacle will suggest themselves. Such details as the method of securing the receptacle to the casing of the sweeper may be iiiodied to -suit the requirements of the particular style oi' sweeper used.

' It will be observed vas a characteristic yfeature of my invention that the volatile disin-` fectant is poured in fluid form directly into 10o the containing chamber of tlie'.receptacle E.

The under side of this receiving chamber is concaved, as shown, and the ends ofthe re.- cei'ving chamber are arranged, if desired,l so as to abut the ends ofthe casing A. Thetop 10E of the 'chamber E, when arranged. in its preferred form, is covered by the top of the carpet sweeper casing so that vthere is nosubstantial evaporation from v'the ltop loi the chamber, while the edges of .the chamber 11o have but a limited surface and are partially covered bythe metal clips, so that the evaporation from' the receptacle E is relatively slight when the sweeper is at rest, but, when tains the treating fluid and at the same time the sweeper is in operation, the rotation of material for use in my invention, as it will serve as a wall of the receptacle which conwillpermit of a retarded exudation of the fluid in such a manner that the fluid will be evaporated as it reaches the exterior of the earthenware wall so that the consumption '1f-Pof the treating fluid will be reduced-to a minij `mum and the fluid will pass from the recepv. tacle only in the form of a vapor which is dis- '.sexninated through the dust and notin the Aform of a fluid which wets down or lays -the dust, nevertheless other substances having these qualities may be used in making the receptacle and so where, in the claims, I use the term unglazed earthenware, it should be understood that I `mean thereby either unglazed earthenware or any similar substances suitable to form to a wall of the fluid `receptacle While at the Sametime permitting of the retarded exudation andvaporous dissem'nation of the treating fluid as above noted.

Various modifications in the means for utilizing the principle .of this invention may be used, but"- j 'Vl-That I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a sweeping machine, comprising sweeping means of a hollow receptacle of unglazed earthenware arranged to receive a disinfectingfl'ld a' por- `tion of which receptacle is arranged in proximity to said sweeping means and constructed so as to permit the fluid to exude and be disseminated through the dust raised by the loperation of the sweeping machine.

2. The combination with a sweeping machine coinprising a brush, of a hollow receptacle of unglazed earthenware arranged with one wall adjacent to the brush of the machine whereby the vapor which is evaporated from said wall when said receptacle is supplied with a volatile disinfectant will be disseminated through the dust raised by the operation of said machine, and whereby such evaporation will be facilitated by the current created by the operation of said brush.

3. The combination, with a sweeping machine',l of a hollow receptacle provided with a bottom of unglazed earthenware, said bottom being concaved so as to form a cavity closed at its ends and adjacent to the brush through which cavity the brusli will travel during the operation of the machine.

4. In a sweeping machine the combination, with a rotatable brush, of means for ro'- tating said brush, a'nd means formed of unglazed earthenware for receiving a volatile disinfectant and permitting the saine to be evaporated from one surface of said earthenware adjacent to said brushv1 all so arranged that said brush will disseminate said disin -fecting vapor through the dust raised by thc operation of the sweeping machine.

5. The combination with a sweeping machine comprising sweeping nieans, of means formed of unglazed earthenware for receiving a disinfecting fluid having a surface thereof arranged in such proximity to said sweeping means that the disinfecting fluid evaporated from such surface willV be disseminated through the dust raised by the operation of said machine, another surface of said earthenware being inclosed so as to [retard the evaporation of said disinfectant froi'n such surface.

WALTER L'. PLUME. vitnesses z HARRY A. ANDERSON CLAUDE W. TURNER. 

